Tacoma Little Theatre’s production of Misery is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Misery is about a famous romance novel writer who is taken hostage by his number one fan after he crashes his car in a snow storm. His legs are immobile and he relies on her to give him pain medication, food, and water. However, when she finds out that he has killed off her favorite character in his book series, she forces him to rewrite it at any cost.
This production of Misery is a bit of a— well, a misery.
For those unfamiliar with Stephen King’s “Misery,” Tacoma Little Theatre’s production will seem like an interesting depiction of a hostage case and a parasocial relationship. However, if you’re looking for a thriller, don’t expect too much. There are some satisfying moments of tension when Paul Sheldon (Dylan Twiner) attempts to escape his captor, Annie Wilkes (Deya Ozburn). Otherwise, there are some crucial moments that are laughable. For instance, the audience was literally laughing when Paul smothers Annie due to the stilted acting, excessive flailing, and odd stage position.
If you are familiar with Stephen King’s “Misery,” it is worth noting that there are some important scenes from the novel that are missing in Tacoma Little Theatre’s production. Some of these include when Paul discovers that Annie is a serial killer and when Annie cuts off Paul’s thumb.
The characters of Misery are interesting and complex due to their background and their decisions, but this is conveyed better by Deya Ozburn as Annie Wilkes than Dylan Twiner as Paul Sheldon. Twiner is also the Production Manager for Misery.
The acting of Deya Ozburn is commendable. Annie Wilkes is complex in her personality and her motives. Sometimes she is a caring nurse, and sometimes she is purposefully neglectful. Her moments of rage and cruelty are emphasized by her otherwise meek and modest disposition. Deya Ozburn does an amazing job playing a character who is a psychopath that could snap at any second, but who also has distinct desires and beliefs that guide her.
Dylan Twiner plays the character of Paul Sheldon, who is as complex as Annie, but is her opposite as he is a typical crude New Yorker, who dates models, while Annie is a religious woman who dwells in a farmhouse in Colorado. Dylan Twiner does a decent job giving Paul a mischievous and charismatic personality that aligns with his fame and big city attitude. However, his tone is a bit flat and it can be hard to tell when Paul is lying to appease Annie and when he is not. The audience has to use context clues to figure out whether Paul’s situation is more akin to Stockholm syndrome or Scheherezade. Also Twiner’s expression of pain about his crippled legs sounded overdone in such a small space and as a result almost sounded funny.
Misery uses some creative and effective choices to adapt King’s novel. For instance, the backgrounds done by Blake R. York (Technical Director, Scenic Designer, Visuals, Graphic Design) illustrate the passage of time by showing how the seasons change in Colorado. This is a nice touch because Annie mentions in the beginning of the play that she cannot let Paul go to the hospital due to the snowy roads, however as we see the snow melt in the background, we get the sense that Annie has no intention of letting Paul go. Another effective choice of adaptation is how each scene is introduced by the chapter number in which the events unfold in the novel. This little homage to its source material will delight fans of King’s novel.
On opening night, Tacoma Little Theatre’s production of Misery is satisfying in some ways for its depiction of Annie Wilkes’ character played by Deya Ozburn, but needs some improvement. Hopefully, next weekend will be better.
Misery Tacoma Little Theatre, 210 N I St, Tacoma, WA 98403. October 20-November 5, 2023. Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 PM, Sundays 2:00 PM. Pay What You Can Thursday, November 2nd at 7:30 PM. ASL Performance Sunday, November 5th at 2:00 PM
Tickets: https://tacomalittletheatre.csstix.com/event-details.php?e=459